Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

5-1-2023

Keywords

gold nanoparticles, surface enhanced raman spectroscopy, biosensors, particle stability

Degree Name

Chemistry (BA, BS)

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Dr. Chuan-Jian Zhong

Series

Science and Mathematics

Subject Heading(s)

Raman effect, Surface enhanced ; Gold -- Diagnostic use ; Cancer -- Diagnosis

Abstract

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the second leading cause of death in the United States is cancer, with 602,350 cancer deaths in 2020. With the current cancer detection techniques, the detection of cancer is often at a stage when the cancer has progressed to dangerous levels. Therefore, being able to detect cancer at its early stages is pivotal and can be life altering for millions. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been widely explored in developing surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) techniques for early detection of cancer biomarkers. Using gold nanoparticles conjugated with Raman reporter molecules, SERS is a sensitive technique for the detection of such biomarkers. The SERS nanoprobes must be prepared carefully so that they have high sensitivity, high selectivity, and low detection limit. In this study, the preparation of the gold nanoprobes is studied for SERS detection of cancer biomarkers such as carcinoembryonic antigen. This project specifically analyzes the relationship between various sizes of AuNPs conjugated with a Raman reporter (e.g., MBA) and the SERS performance. The results will be useful for size-optimized nanoprobes for SERS detection of cancer biomarkers in order to improve early-stage cancer detection techniques.

Available for download on Sunday, May 04, 2025

Included in

Chemistry Commons

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